For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 14, 2004

National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2004
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board
of Education and the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
we recognize our Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
for their extraordinary accomplishments in education and for extending
the promise of our Nation's founding to all of our citizens.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities were created to educate
African Americans when they were wrongly denied the opportunity to
attend school during the 19th century. Today, these great institutions
continue to advance equal opportunity and excellence in education. In
2002, HBCUs enrolled 14 percent of all African Americans attending
college. Their graduates are leaders in medicine, education,
government, the military, business, the arts, the law, and many other
fields. They include such heroes as Thurgood Marshall, who led the
struggle for equal justice under law for African Americans and
successfully represented African-American schoolchildren in Brown.

Half a century after the Supreme Court's historic decision in
Brown, America is still working to reach the high calling of its
ideals. Education remains the path to equality and opportunity, and
HBCUs are a vital part of our national commitment to improving
education for all of our citizens. Funding for HBCUs is now at an
all-time high. By providing students with a quality education, HBCUs
are continuing to help America remain a place of opportunity and hope
for every citizen.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 12 through
September 18, 2004, as National Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Week. I call upon public officials, educators,
librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this
week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to show our
respect and appreciation for these remarkable institutions and their
graduates.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day
of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-ninth.